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What this covers
Advertising beautifully alerts us to the desirability lots of things we probably don't need that much of in our lives. For its part, art also alerts us to the beauty and charm of bits of the world: but it tends to be the bits that we really do need for a fulfilled life.
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FURTHER READING
“At the centre of our societies is a hugely inventive force dedicated to nudging us towards a heightened appreciation of certain aspects of the world. With enormous skill, it throws into relief the very best sides of particular places and objects. It uses wordsmiths and image makers of near genius, who can create deeply inspiring and beguiling associations and position works close to our eyelines at most moments of the day. Advertising is the most compelling agent of mass appreciation we have ever known…”
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CREDITS
Produced in collaboration with: Lois de Silva http://www.loisdesilva.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife
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Art functions as a corrective counterweight to commercial advertising by redirecting human attention and appreciation toward overlooked but genuinely valuable aspects of ordinary life—trees, grass, sky, tenderness, childhood, and modest domestic moments—that advertising systematically obscures in favor of expensive commodities.
- Advertising systematically skews our priorities by promoting only wealthy products while obscuring the real ingredients of happiness that are free or readily at hand
- Artists like Hockney, Dürer, Bonard, and Cassatt deliberately 'advertised' overlooked subjects to counteract this distortion and restore our sense of authentic value
- Art's power lies in dignifying ordinary life rather than glamorizing the unattainable, teaching us to recognize genuine merit in humble circumstances
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One of our major flaws as animals is that we're very bad at keeping in mind the real ingredients of happiness.
“one of our major flaws as animals and a big contributor to our unhappiness is that we're very bad at keeping in mind the real ingredients of happiness”
Only a very few sorts of things ever get advertised; almost nothing in the world is in a position to afford the budgets required by an advertising campaign.
“of course only a very few sorts of things ever get advertised almost nothing in the world is in a position to afford the budgets required by a campaign”
We are sluggish in remembering to love and to care, and we're prone to racing through the years forgetting the wonder, fragility, and beauty of existence.
“we're sluggish in remembering to love and to care and we're prone to racing through the years forgetting the Wonder fragility and beauty of existence”
Advertising is an enormously skilled inventive force dedicated to nudging us toward heightened appreciation of certain aspects of the world, using wordsmiths and image makers of near genius to create deeply inspiring and beguiling associations.
“at the center of our societies is a hugely inventive force dedicated to nudging us towards a heightened appreciation of certain aspects of the world with enormous skill it throws into relief that's very best sides of particular places and objects it uses wordsmiths an image makers of near genius who can create deeply inspiring and beguiling associations”
Advertising is the most compelling agent of mass appreciation that we have ever known because it is so ubiquitous.
“advertising is the most compelling agent of mass appreciation that we have ever known because advertising is so ubiquitous”
In Chardin's painting of women taking tea, the sitter's dress might be a bit more elaborate than is normal today, but the painted table, teapot, chair, spoon, and cup could all be picked up at a flea market, and the room is studiously plain, yet the picture is glamorous.
“consider Sharda as painting women taking tea the sitter's dress might be a bit more elaborate than is normal today but the painted table teapot chair spoon and cup could all be picked up at a flea market the room is studiously plain and yet the picture is glamorous”
This selective focus of advertising has a habit of skewing our sense of priorities.
“this has a habit of skewing our sense of priorities”
We lose sight of the value of almost everything that's readily to hand and we're deeply ungrateful towards anything that's free or doesn't cost very much.
“we lose sight of the value of almost everything that's readily to hand we're deeply ungrateful towards anything that's free or doesn't cost very much”
We trust in the value of objects more than ideas or feelings.
“we trust in the value of objects more than ideas or feelings”
Art functions by running advertising campaigns not for anything expensive or usually even available for purchase, but for the many things that are at once of huge human importance and yet constantly in danger of being forgotten.
“one way to conceive of what artists do is to think that they are in their own way running advertising campaigns not for anything expensive or usually even available for purchase but for the many things that are at once of huge human importance and yet constantly in danger of being forgotten”
Art is advertising for the things we really need.
“it's advertising for the things we really need”
Chardin's painting makes the ordinary occasion and simple furnishings seductive and invites the beholder to go home and create their own live version.
“the picture is glamorous it makes this ordinary occasion and the simple furnishings seductive it invites the beholder to go home and create their own live version”
The glamour in Chardin's painting is not a false sheen that pretends something lovely is going on when it isn't; rather, Chardin recognizes the actual worth of a modest moment and marshals his genius to bring its qualities to our notice.
“the glamour is not a false sheen that pretends something lovely is going on when it isn't shudder recognizes the worth of a modest moment and marshals his genius to bring its qualities to our notice”
These were all acts of justice, not condescension—much-needed correctives to the way that glamour is so often located in unhelpful places in what's rare, remote, costly, or youthful.
“these were all acts of Justice not condescension they were much-needed correctives to the way that what we call glamour is so often located in unhelpful places in what's rare remote costly or youthful”
Advertising is a form of love overwhelmingly reserved for those wealthy potentates of Modern Life—nappies, cereal bars, conditioners, hand sanitizers, and family sedans.
“advertising is a form of love overwhelmingly reserved for those wealthy potentates of Modern Life nappies cereal bars conditioners hand sanitizers or family sedans”
In the early 21st century, English artist David Hockney ran a major advertising campaign for trees.
“in the early part of the 21st century the English artist David Hockney ran a major advertising campaign for trees”
In the 1830s, Danish artist Christin Koepka did a lot of advertising for the sky, especially just before or after a rain shower.
“in the 1830s the Danish artist Kristin koepka did a lot of advertising for the sky especially just before or after a rain shower”
At the start of the 16th century, German painter Albrecht Dürer launched a comparable campaign around the value of grass.
“at the start of the 16th century the German painter Albrecht Durer launched a comparable campaign around the value of grass”
It is the power of art to honor the elusive but real value of ordinary life.
“it lies in the power of art to honor the elusive but real value of ordinary life”
Art may teach us to be more just towards ourselves as we endeavor to make the best of our humble circumstances—a job we don't always love—dealing with the imperfections of age, frustrated ambitions, and attempts to stay loyal to some irritable families.
“it may teach us to be more just towards ourselves as we endeavor to make the best of our humble circumstances a job we don't always love the imperfections of age are frustrated ambitions and our attempts to stay loyal to some irritable families”
Art can do the opposite of glamorize the unattainable; it can reawaken us to the genuine merit of life as we're forced to lead it.
“art can do the opposite of glamorize the unattainable it can reawaken us to the genuine merit of life as we're forced to lead it”
If advertising images carry a lot of the blame for instilling sickness in our souls, the images of artists can reconcile us with our reality and reawaken us to the genuine but too easily forgotten value of our own lives.
“if advertising images carry a lot of the blame for instilling sickness in our souls the images of artists can reconcile us with our reality and reawaken us to the genuine but too easily forgotten value of our own lives”
In a psychological field, French painter Pierre Bonard carried out an exceptionally successful campaign for tenderness by turning out hundreds of images of his partner Marthe viewed through lenses of sympathy, concern, and understanding.
“in a psychological field the French painter Pierre Bona carried out an exceptionally successful campaign for tenderness turning out hundreds of images of his partner marked viewed through lenses of sympathy concern and understanding”
American painter Mary Cassatt made a pretty good case for the world-beating importance of spending some time with a child.
“the American painter Mary Cassatt made a pretty good case for the world-beating importance of spending some time with a child”